Ophelia Hill

Ophelia T. Hill was born to the union of Tom Henry and Iola Luce Thomas in St. Louis, MO on September 7, 1955. She was the “baby girl”, and second child of that union. She graduated from Northwest High School and attended Tarkio College. It was during her time at Tarkio College she received her special nickname, Ofie. She met Edward Hill there and they were married in 1975. They had one child, Rashad Andre Hill. Although their marriage ended in 1994, they remained good friends.

Ofie and their son, Rashad, moved to Decatur, IL where she worked for Ameren, formally known as Illinois Power. Ofie worked for Ameren for 30 years. While in Decatur, she met Mr. Frank Lee, Sr. who was the principal at Rashad’s grade school. Frank asked her to lunch, she kindly turned him down, due to other plans. He asked her to dinner, and she graciously accepted. Frank took Ofie on a date to Chesapeake Bay in Springfield, and oh what a date it was! They spent 23 beautiful years together before his transition in 2017.

Ofie was dedicated to her St. Louis Cardinal’s Baseball team. From the time she could walk, her father took her to their games, and she quickly became one of their biggest fans. She knew every player and all their stats. She kept notebooks full of their clippings and collected countless Cardinal Baseball memorabilia. For her 65th birthday, her daughter in love, Danielle, surprised her with a video greeting from Ozzie Smith, former Cardinal baseball shortstop. Ofie was touched to the core of her heart.

Tupperware was also one of her passions. Ofie was a leading sales consultant for Tupperware and enjoyed hosting parties and attending their conventions.

Ofie was blessed with a gift to create. Family and friends received personalized handmade greeting cards for their birthdays. Her workplace held contests various times of the year for the best decorated stations. Ofie’s team won prizes because of her creativity and ingenuity. She made costumes for her grandsons, created wishing wells for weddings and enjoyed dressing up during Halloween with her loving companion, Frank.

Ofie gave her life to Christ and was baptized at the age of 10 at Greater Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO, where she was a member. She attended The Church of The Living God while living in Decatur.

Ofie leaves to cherish her memory, her son, Rashad (Danielle) Hill, two grandchildren Jaxon Hill and Kingston Hill, her honorary grandchildren; Rev. Frank S. (Andrea) Lee, III; Andrea, Jonathan, Rose (Alex) Rubio, Selah and Angelica of Chicago; Rose M. Lee (widow of Frank Lee, Jr. and a good friend to Ofie); and honorary great grandchildren: Adrian Lee-Horton, Frank S. Lee IV, Christian Lee and Karson Lee of Chicago, , two brothers, JC (Betty) Thomas and Prince Jason Thomas; two sisters, Doris Glover and Gail (Cleve) Redding, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who will miss her and who love her dearly.

She was preceded in death by her loving companion of 23 years, Frank Lee Sr and her loving parents, Tom Henry and Iola Luce Thomas.